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Book 5 Chapter 3
They continue their journey after they wake up, which is uneventful for several hours, when they hear something yelling things like "I am an individual" and "I want to be free". They pick up the pace, shortly finding one of the creatures from earlier being chased by hundreds if not thousands of other similar creatures. Its pursuers repeat in unison, "You are a problem, you must be corrected,". The lone creature is overtaken by its pursuers, which swarm around it. After a few seconds, the swarm dissipates, and there is nothing left of the creature that was fleeing. Many of the pursuers are seen carrying metal parts in their hands that they did not have before. Unsettled, the party continues towards the direction of the factory. Several hours later, they climb onto another cog, this one so huge that it cannot even be distinguished as a cog. It has mountains, trees, and rotates imperceptibly slow. They reach the factory, and Mittlefink says that the phylactery is inside the factory. They walk up to a door, which is guarded by two creatures, although similar to the ones they've previously encountered, are much larger. Their path is briefly blocked, but after a few seconds, they silently allow the party to pass. Inside the building they find a huge version of the creatures they've encountered, with hundreds of sides, limbs, mouths, and eyes. When it speaks, all of its mouths move in unison. It introduces itself as Primus, leader of the Modrons. It inquires what the party is doing on Mechanus, and the party explains that they are looking for the phylacteries. Primus says that he is aware of the phylactery on Mechanus, and that if it is destroyed, the entire Modron race will be destroyed along with it. With his many arms, he points to a small device which is attached to only one cog. He says that the Mahtarion came here ages ago with that device, and created Primus, the first Modron. From their, Primus created the rest of Mechanus, along with the billions of Modrons that are now in existence. It powers every cog in Mechanus, and if the cogs stop working, then the Modrons will cease functioning, because their purpose is to solve the Problem. The Problem is an infinitely complex equation, which the cogs assist in solving. When the party asks him about the Modron they saw disassembled, he said that one Modron that is created every day is flawed with individuality, because of the phylactery. Primus is also an individual, but he sees it as a curse, not a blessing. The party finds out that if they want to destroy the phylactery, that they will also have to destroy the Modron race. They ask Primus if there are any alternatives, and Primus replies that there are none. He goes on to explian that every 289 thousands of modrons are sent out across the planes in something called the Great March, in hopes of finding another place with the unique properties of Mechanus, or a way to create another Base (this is what they call the machine that powers ever cog on Mechanus). However, in the all of the times the Great March has been conducted, they have never been successful. The party discusses among themselves what to do. They can either destroy it now, destroying the entire Modron race, as well as potentially dooming themselves because they have no way off of Mechanus, or come back later. The party finishes up their discussion, having come to the agreement that they will leave Mechanus for now, hoping that in the future they will have a better solution for their dilemma. As they start to leave, Primus tells them that there are many portals that appear on Mechanus, and that they go all over the planes. The party heads outside, and wander around until they find a dark green portal, unable to determine what's on the other side, they head through and hope for the best. On the other side of the portal, they find themselves on a cold, dark, windy plane. The wind is harsh and makes it impossible to hear. Those who were at the Spellweaver's tower, are reminded of the alien's home plane, which he called Pandemonium. They explore for a little bit, before finding a tunnel which seems to be suctioning air into it. They go inside, and wonder what awaits them now...